Method and system for reinforcing a workpiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9782928-B2
Application number	US-201514843422-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2015
Priority date	Sep 2, 2015
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A system is described for reinforcing a thermoplastic workpiece including a subject surface and an underlying workpiece body volume. At least one substantially linear Z-pin having proximal and distal pin ends longitudinally separated by a pin body is provided. The proximal pin end is in direct contact with the subject surface. An ultrasonic energy source applies ultrasonic energy to the Z-pin to ultrasonically heat the Z-pin and thus locally melt the workpiece material of the subject surface and/or the workpiece body to create a melted workpiece material. The proximal pin end and at least a portion of the pin body of the Z-pin are penetrated into the melted workpiece material to create an inserted Z-pin length. The inserted Z-pin length is maintained in the workpiece body volume by solidified melted workpiece material around the inserted Z-pin length to reinforce the workpiece. A method of reinforcing a workpiece is also provided.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of reinforcing a workpiece, the method comprising:
producing a workpiece material via an additive manufacturing (“AM”) process;
at least partially forming a thermoplastic workpiece including a subject surface and an underlying workpiece body volume from the workpiece material which was additive manufactured;
arranging the workpiece with the subject surface facing in a first direction;
providing at least one substantially linear Z-pin having proximal and distal pin ends longitudinally separated by a pin body;
placing each proximal pin end in direct contact with the subject surface of the workpiece;
applying ultrasonic energy to the Z-pin;
ultrasonically heating the Z-pin;
with the ultrasonically heated Z-pin, locally melting the workpiece material of at least one of the subject surface and the workpiece body volume to create a melted workpiece material;
applying an insertion pressure, directed substantially in a second direction opposite the first direction, to the Z-pin;
with the insertion pressure, causing the proximal pin end and at least a portion of the pin body of the Z-pin to penetrate into the melted workpiece material to create an inserted Z-pin length;
maintaining the inserted Z-pin length in the workpiece body volume; and
solidifying the melted workpiece material around the inserted Z-pin length to reinforce the workpiece.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the workpiece is a unitary one-component workpiece.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the workpiece is a multi-component stacked workpiece including a plurality of substantially longitudinally stacked sub-components including at least one locally laterally-extending sub-component interface longitudinally separated from the subject surface.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing at least one substantially linear Z-pin includes providing at least one carbon fiber Z-pin.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing at least one substantially linear Z-pin includes providing an array of Z-pins.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein providing an array of Z-pins includes maintaining at least the distal pin ends of the array of Z-pins in a carrier, and including providing ultrasonic energy to the carrier for transmission to the array of Z-pins.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the workpiece material is nonhomogenously formed and wherein locally melting the workpiece material includes locally melting a selected subset of the workpiece material.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the workpiece has been cured.

Assignees

• Barnes Eric G
• Park Sung S
• Gonzalez Pedro A
• Tamayo Anthony
• Szallay Todd Lewis
• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Barnes Eric G
• Park Sung S
• Gonzalez Pedro A
• Tamayo Anthony
• Szallay Todd Lewis

Classifications

• B29C70/82 Primary

  Forcing wires, nets or the like partially or completely into the surface of an article, e.g. by cutting and pressing · CPC title

• B29K2101/12

  Thermoplastic materials · CPC title

• B29C65/08 Primary

  using ultrasonic vibrations {(non-plastics element to plastics elements B29C65/645)} · CPC title

• B29K2307/04

  Carbon · CPC title

• B29C66/73921

  characterised by the materials of both parts being thermoplastics · CPC title